Paper plates and cups are in widespread use in homes and commercial and institutional food service operations for various reasons, including the elimination of the time and expense attendant upon washing dinnerware but also for the ability to use tableware with special designs for unique or one time functions such as parties and holidays. Paper tableware of the subject type can be made of natural or uncolored bleached paperboard stock, which results in very plain looking products that are white or off-white in color. In order to provide a more decorative and appealing product, paper tableware is often made with printed designs, logos, legends, and the like, to provide a product with greater visual impact; for example, paper tableware can be printed with a seasonal motif such as a Christmas design, a design relating to a birthday party, or a corporate name or logo. A barrier coating of a type approved by the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, is applied as a protective measure over the surfaces of the tableware that would come in contact with food or drink, including any printing on the various products.
Printing as a means for enhancing the appearance of paper tableware, while attractive and in widespread use, has limitations with respect to the visual impact and appearance of the printed design or information. The printing inks available for this purpose are generally dull or rather lifeless in appearance, so that the special effects that can be obtained with the prior art techniques are restricted. There is, therefore, a growing need or market demand for paper tableware that has a more festive or dramatic appearance than the products now available. Accordingly, among the principal objects of our present invention are: to provide new constructions for paper tableware; to develop new paper tableware constructions that provide visual impact not currently available with the prior art constructions; and to provide paper tableware constructions that will further extend the potential uses for paper products. These and other more specific objects of our invention will become apparent in the detailed description which follows.